Wine tastes "yeasty"

[Kaitala]

I did search, but I may not have asked "right".

I made zinfandel from a kit. Aged the 6 weeks the kit said, had used the sorbate and additives as the kit directed. Racked into 5 gallon for bulk age. Bulk aged for about 3 months, then racked into 1 gallons.

I know more time makes the flavors better, and can say its much improved this 3 months later. However, I get a "yeasty" taste.

What did I do wrong, what didbt I do that I should have, and how do I not have this flavor in future batches?

 

[G259]

I'll assume Red Zinfandel. I would think that it would benefit from more aging. I think 3 months is Way too short, I think more like a year (or longer). If it's white, maybe 8 months. This is my opinion, as I have never made Zin, but I drink it often (too often!)

 

[heatherd]

I did search, but I may not have asked "right".

I made zinfandel from a kit. Aged the 6 weeks the kit said, had used the sorbate and additives as the kit directed. Racked into 5 gallon for bulk age. Bulk aged for about 3 months, then racked into 1 gallons.

I know more time makes the flavors better, and can say its much improved this 3 months later. However, I get a "yeasty" taste.

What did I do wrong, what didbt I do that I should have, and how do I not have this flavor in future batches?

I'd give it more time in the carboy until you like the flavor. My red kits take longer to come around to being tasty. You can age in your 5 or 6 gallon and top up with a similar wine. You'll want to add potassium metabisulfite every three months during aging. It should come around.

 

[Kaitala]

Tha ks for responding!

Poured a glass, since its 5 o'clock, and to study it.

The yeast is more in the aroma (nose? bouquet?) than actually in the taste. If I hold my breath while taking a sip, I miss out on the usually good aromas, but also on that yeasty smell.

I'm trying to learn about how it should feel in your mouth, and on the tongue, etc. I read about the donut hole thing. Instead, mine seems lacking on the sides of my tongue. Both sides.

It doesn't feel weak and watery. Nor chewy like young wine tastes like fresh bread was dipped in it.

I know its super young for a red, but if this is an indication that I did something wrong, Id want to know before I make new batches.

I will leave the other gallon jugs and see how they do. And I have another batch of zin Ill keep racking and bulk aging. Its only a few weeks behind this one.

Any other ideas and comments are certainly welcome. Thanks for the help!

 

[wood1954]

Often you will get the yeasty odor, my wife calls some of my wines beery. I have a Chardonnay that’s a year old and tastes and smells good now. 6 months ago it still had a yeasty odor. Give it time it will go away.

 

[Chuck E]

@Kaitala All my reds, whether kits or from grapes, are aged 1 year minimum. Alot of changes occur in that 3-9 month time frame. Yeasty smell at 3 months is not unusual, and I don't think you have done anything wrong. Kit instructions always say their wine is done quickly. They want you to buy another kit.

 

[winemaker81]

@Kaitala, If I added correctly the wine is about 4.5 months old? Some reds will taste pretty good at that point -- yes, green (young) but hinting at what maturity will bring. Some have odd flavors at this point and just haven't come together yet. Most reds need a year of aging, either in bulk or in the bottle. Note: once you bottle, don't touch the wine for at least a month as most go through "bottle shock", where the wine is temporarily unbalanced and will not taste right.

If you don't smell rotten eggs or vinegar, you're probably ok.

For kits, the instructions prior to the end of fermentation are guidelines for those without a hydrometer. If you have one, it tells you when fermentation is done. [if you don't have a hydrometer, it's worth the investment.]

Post-fermentation? All kit timeframes are minimum values. The wine can go longer -- some folks bulk age kits for a year or more.

There is a LOT of variation in bulk aging time frames, many different opinions that are all valid. For kits you can bottle any time after the time frame specified in the instructions. I often bulk age longer, and if I'm adding additional oak, at least 4 months longer.

There is controversy on aging in bulk or in bottle. One school of thought is you'll let the wine age longer if it's bulk -- bottles are tempting. OTOH, I recommend that you start sampling your young wines to educate yourself on how wines age. Nothing like practical experience to teach you. Open a bottle every few months and record your impressions. Read your notes a year later and you'll see the progression.

Some practical advise on aging wine -- make more than you drink. Make some young drinking wines to drink while others are aging. Put some bottles away as "no touch" and come back to them later. Never lose sight of the fact that this is fun!